12 Days Uganda-Rwanda Adventure

 Trip Overview

This safari is an average tour covering the highlights of Uganda’s tourism product. Have you ever dreamed of touring the Pearl of Africa and the Land of a thousand Hills in less than a fortnight! This is a perfect safari for you. On this tour you will be able to track engage in game drives, launch cruises trek chimps and the closest relatives to human, the gorillas and the beautiful sceneries the pearl of Africa has on the menu. This as adventure that will leave you wondering how beautiful Uganda is! And indeed, the pearl of Africa. Then cross the border to Volcanoes national park and track the Golden monkeys before chilling out at Lake Kivu. Wrap-up the experience with a Kigali city tour visiting the Genocide memorial.

Safari Highlights

• Arrival, meet and greet
• Kibale Chimpanzee trekking at Kanyancyu and Bigodi Swamp Walk
• Queen Elizabeth Park, Ishasha Tree climbing lions, Kasenyi game drives and launch cruise on Kazinga Channel
• Bwindi Gorillas and the Batwa experience
• Volcanoes National Park, golden monkeys and Iby’Iwacu
• Relax on the banks of Lake Kivu
• Kigali city tour with Genocide memorial

Day 1, Arrival;

Welcome to Uganda! On arrival, you will be met and greeted at the Airport by a Valiant Safaris driver-guide who will be your Driver for the safari, and then transfer to your hotel for an overnight.

Approx. Distance. 4km, 10 Minutes

Meals. None

Accommodation. Boma Guest House

Day 2: Entebbe – Kibale Forest N.P.

Pick up from your hotel and drive westwards via Mubende with a stopover for Lunch. The drive continues past beautiful sceneries of tea plantations and the rolling hill of the crater region arriving Kibale forest park late afternoon.

In the afternoon visit the crater lakes with a walk to the top of the world alternatively relax at the lodge.

Approx. Distance. 410kms, 7hours’ Drive

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Turaco Treetops

Day 3: Kibale Forest N.P. – Chimpanzee Tracking

Morning Chimpanzee Tracking Adventure; Kibale forest has over 1,450 individuals (Chimpanzees) protected within the park. At Kanyanchu, a community of chimpanzees has been habituated since 1991, allowing visitors an outstanding opportunity to track these apes in their natural Habitat.

Tracking starts at 7am with a briefing at Kanyanchu Park offices, where you will be allocated rangers to take you to the forest. An advance team already in the forest keep tracking the chimps and communicates with your ranger on the radio call, tracking can last for 2 to 4 hours depending on how far the chimps could be feeding.

Visit Bigodi swamp in the afternoon, a community project aimed at improving the livelihoods of the local people, a local guide will lead you on a developed 4.5km trail through the swamp for approximately 3 hours where you can find several bird species including the great blue Turacos, Hornbills Kingfishers and also Black and White Colobus, Red Colobus, Red Tailed Monkey, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, L’hoest Monkey, Vervet Monkeys can be spotted.

Approx. Distance.

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Turaco Treetops

Day 4: Kibale Forest N.P – Queen Elizabeth N.P. Date:

Morning transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park with lunch en-route, and afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga channel will give you great views of several game including Hippos, Buffaloes, elephants and birdlife that queen Elizabeth National Park has to offer. Off the boat cruise and continue with and evening game drive in the park if time permits before returning to your lodge for an overnight.

Approx. Distance. 130kms, 3hours’ Drive

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth N.P

A morning game drives in the Kasenyi plains through to Katwe Kob mating grounds. Most of the animals you are likely to find here include impalas, sitatungas and lions when lucky enough. You will have a chance to visit the Katara women project on a community visit, here women make paper products out of elephant dung. Alternatively, you can go for a lion tracking experience at an extra payment.

Continue the drive to Ishasha sector in the Southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park with Lunch en-route and an afternoon game drive searching for tree climbing lions in the cactus tree branches. Ishasha is the largest sector of Queen Elizabeth national park with the largest population concentration of animal species.

Approx. Distance. 100kms, 2hours’ Drive

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Enjojo Lodge

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth N.P. – Bwindi N.P.

A morning game drive in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha sector searching for tree climbing lions and many more animal species to spot on the game drive. Ishasha sector is the most endowed with animal species including Impalas, Elands, Buffaloes, elephant, famous tree climbing lions and depending on how lucky you are; you may also find a Leopard.

Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the drive will take you along a murram road with some bumpy areas but a very scenic drive in this region, After check in at the lodge you will have a well-earned rest contemplating on the gorilla trekking experience the following morning.

Approx. Distance. 180km, 5hours’ Drive

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Four Gorillas Lodge

Day 7: Bwindi N.P – Gorilla Trek Experience

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in south-western Uganda edge at the edge of the great east African Rift Valley. It is a home to over 400 species of mountain gorillas about half of the world’s population. Many of these are habituated in families that are daily visited by tourists. The forest is also a home to over 350 species of birds and 400 flora species.

Gorilla trekking starts at 8am after a briefing at the park headquarters, you will trek through the dense steep forest searching for the gorillas depending on where they were seen making nests the previous evening. The trekking can last 2-7 hours depend on how soon you find the Gorillas, this is influenced by the location they stayed overnight. Trekking can be a tasking adventure, but coming to a facial close-up with these close relatives to human is a reward worthy to earn. After gorilla trekking, Time permitting you may go for a community walk and visit the community conservation projects around the park.

Approx. Distance.

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Four Gorillas Lodge

Day 8: Bwindi N.P – Volcanoes N.P

After morning breakfast head to Lake Mutanda for a canoe ride and community walk experience. The dugout canoe ride on the calm waters surrounded by the volcanoes is an amazing experience you can never miss when you visit this region. Transfer to the Uganda-Rwanda border and finalize the immigration procedures before heading to the volcanoes national park for a cultural experience at Iby’Iwacu.

Approx. Distance. 80km, 3hours’ Drive

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation. Ingagi Parkview Lodge

Day 9: Volcanoes – Lake Kivu

Today you will go for a morning tracking of the golden monkeys in the Volcanoes National Park. The Golden Monkey tracking experience involves a mild trek through the bamboo forest in the lower zones of the Volcanic mountains until you find these amazing apes. Hiking in the forest isn’t so strenuous like that of mountain gorillas because the Golden monkeys live on the lower slopes. The tracking usually last for not more than 3 hours, some times it can be more. When you encounter a golden monkey family you are given an hour to spend with them.

Return for lunch and afternoon scenic visits to the Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, have a canoe excursion before transferring to Gisenyi on the banks of Lake Kivu. Spend a relaxed afternoon and evening by the lake.

Approx. Distance. 65kms, 1hour 30minutes’ Drive Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Accommodation. Lake Kivu Serena Resort

Day 10; Lake Kivu

Today you will go for a morning boat ride on Lake Kivu and visit the Islands, before spending the rest of the day in relaxation at the resort.

Approx. Distance. None Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Accommodation. Lake Kivu Serena Resort

Day 11; Lake Kivu

Full day relaxation at the resort.

Approx. Distance. None Meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Accommodation. Lake Kivu Serena Resort

Day 12; Lake Kivu to Kigali

Morning drive to Kigali for a city tour and visit the genocide memorial before transferring to Kigali airport in time to check-in for your departure flight to the next destination.

Approx. Distance. 160kms, 4 hours’ Drive Meals. Breakfast and Lunch Accommodation. None End Accommodation. None

                                                                 End of Safari.